UNIVERSITY   OF   CALIFORNIA 

COLLEGE   OF   AGRICULTURE 

AGRICULTURAL   EXPERIMENT   STATION 

BERKELEY,    CALIFORNIA 


RAISIN  BY-PRODUCTS  AND  BEAN 

SCREENINGS  AS  FEEDS  FOR 

FATTENING  LAMBS 


ROBERT  F.  MILLER 


BULLETIN  431 

September,  1927 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  PRINTING  OFFICE 

BERKELEY,  CALIFORNIA 

1927 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  California,  Davis  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/raisinbyproducts431mill 


RAISIN  BY-PRODUCTS  AND  BEAN  SCREENINGS 
AS  FEEDS  FOR   FATTENING  LAMBS 


EGBERT  F.  MILLERi 


INTRODUCTION 

In  California,  one  of  the  leading  sheep  states  in  the  Union,  a  great 
many  lambs  are  fattened  for  market  every  fall  and  winter.  Alfalfa 
hay  and  barley  are  the  basal  feeds,  although  these  are  usually  supple- 
mented with  various  by-products  in  order  to  reduce  the  feed  cost.  The 
Animal  Husbandry  Division  has  conducted  two  trials  in  studying  the 
feeding  value  of  cull  raisins,  raisin  pulp,  and  raisin  stemmer  waste 
in  the  fattening  of  lambs.  In  the  second  trial  two  lots  of  lambs  were 
included  in  the  experiment  to  ascertain  the  feeding  value  of  bean 
screenings.  These  trials  were  conducted  during  the  fall  of  1924  and 
of  1925.  The  cull  raisins  and  raisin  by-products  were  furnished  by 
the  California  Sun-Maid  Raisin  Growers  Association.  When  the  trials 
began  there  were  two  standard  by-products  produced  in  raisin  syrup 
manufacture,  namely,  raisin  pulp  and  raisin  stemmer  waste.  The 
syrup  is  made  from  low-grade  raisins,  and  the  residue  and  stem  waste 
are  dried  and  ground  and  sold  as  stock  feed. 

Since  this  experiment  was  conducted,  the  raisin  association  has 
changed  its  policy  and  at  present  is  offering  only  one  product  under 
the  trade  name  of  S.  T.  W.  Feed,  which  is  a  mixture  of  the  raisin 
pulp  and  stemmer  waste. 

CONDITIONS    OF    THE    FIRST    TRIAL    WITH     RAISIN    BY-PRODUCTS 

The  object  of  this  experiment  was  to  determine  the  feeding  value 
of  cull  raisins,  raisin  pulp,  and  raisin  stemmer  waste  for  fattening 
lambs  and  their  relative  efficiency  as  compared  with  barley  when  the 
by-products  make  up  two-thirds  of  the  grain  ration. 

Animals  Used. — One  hundred  and  eighty  feeder  lambs  were 
bought  at  Chico,  California,  and  shipped  to  the  University  Farm, 
arriving  on  September  17,  1924.  The  lambs  were  a  fairly  uniform 
lot,  being  out  of  Merino  ewes  and  sired  by  Shropshire  rams.  Most 
of  the  lambs  were  smooth-bodied  and  showed  the  black-face  markings ; 
however,  about  10  per  cent  were  of  Merino  type.  They  were  born  dur- 
ing March  and  April  and  were  grazed  on  the  Shasta  National  Forest 
during  the  summer  and  were  in  a  good,  thrifty  condition  when  pur- 

1  Associate  Professor  of  Animal  Husbandry  and  Associate  Animal  Husbandman 
in  the  Experiment  Station. 


4  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

chased.    The  lambs  were  carrying  a  full  fleece  of  wool  and  were  shorn 
by  machine  a  few  days  after  arriving  at  the  Farm. 

Weights  and  Equipment. — The  lambs  were  divided,  as  uniformly 
as  possible  as  to  weight  and  conformation,  into  4  lots  of  45  lambs  each 
on  September  25.  They  were  weighed  by  lots  on  three  consecutive 
days  at  the  beginning  and  at  the  close  of  the  experiment,  the  average 
of  the  three  weights  being  taken  as  the  initial  and  the  final  weights, 
respectively.  The  lambs  were  kept  in  the  regular  feeding  pens,  each 
pen  being  33  feet  wide  and  80  feet  long,  with  an  open  shed  for  shelter. 

Rations  Fed.^ 

Lot  1,  whole  barley  and  alfalfa  hay.     (Check  lot.) 
Lot  2,  whole  barley  1  part,  cull  raisins  2  parts,  alfalfa  hay. 
Lot  3,  whole  barley  1  part,  raisin  pulp  2  parts,  alfalfa  hay. 
Lot  4,  whole  barley  1  part,  stemmer   waste    2    parts,    alfalfa 
hay. 

Description  of  Feeds. — The  whole  barley  was  of  a  good  grade, 
fairly  plump,  field  run,  and  not  recleaned.  It  was  Tennessee  winter 
barley,  grown  on  the  University  Farm  by  the  Agronomy  Division,  and 
weighed  approximately  45  pounds  to  the  bushel. 

Cull  raisins  are  those  rejected  for  human  consumption,  consisting 
of  small  shrunken  berries  with  considerable  stems  present.  They  were 
shipped  in  sacks  and,  during  storage,  had  formed  a  rather  hard,  com- 
pact mass  somewhat  difficult  to  break  up  before  feeding. 

Kaisin  pulp  is  a  by-product  from  the  manufacture  of  raisin  syrup 
and  consists  of  a  mixture  of  dry  battery  pulp,  dry  seeder  waste,  and 
stemmer  waste.  Dry  battery  pulp  is  the  residue  from  the  syrup 
process  and  consists  of  the  raisins  after  most  of  the  sugar  has  been 
extracted.  The  seeder  waste  is  mostly  dried  seeds  with  a  few  raisins, 
while  the  stemmer  waste  consists  mainly  of  finely  ground  stems  and  a 
small  percentage  of  ground  raisins.  The  pulp  is  thoroughly  dried  and 
ground,  and  contains  about  8  per  cent  moisture  upon  leaving  the  dryer. 

The  raisin  stemmer  waste  consists  largely  of  stem  waste,  with  some 
recleaner  and  blow-over  waste  and  coarse  chaff.  The  whole  mixture 
is  finely  ground  and  dried. 

The  alfalfa  hay  was  of  fairly  uniform  quality,  although  somewhat 
coarse  and  stemmy.  It  was  second  and  third  cutting  hay,  which  was 
stacked  and  then  baled.  The  composition  of  the  feeds  used  is  given 
in  Table  1. 

These  analyses,  made  in  the  laboratories  of  the  College  of  Agri- 
culture, show  that  cull  raisins  are  very  high  in  nitrogen-free  extract 
and  low  in  crude  fiber.     The  moisture  content  is  high  and  the  crude 

2  Proportions  by  weight. 


BUL.  431]  RAISIN  AND  BEAN  FEEDS  FOR  FATTENING  LAMBS 


protein  low  as  compared  with  barley.  Comparing  raisin  pulp  with 
stemmer  waste,  the  latter  is  lower  in  nitrogen-free  extract  and  notice- 
ably higher  in  ash,  while  both  feeds  are  rather  high  in  crude  fiber. 
The  alfalfa  hay  was  higher  in  crude  fiber  than  average  second  and 
third  cutting  hay.  It  was  rather  stemmy  and  some  of  the  leaves  were 
lost  in  baling  and  handling. 

TABLE  1 

Chemical  Composition  of  the  Feeds 


Feed 

Moisture 

Ash 

Crude 
protein 

Crude 
fiber 

Nitrogen- 
free 
extract 

Fat 

Barley 

Per  cent 
9.79 

18.50 
12.14 
13.20 

8.85 

Per  cent 
2.25 
3.34 

4.66 

10.14 

9.26 

Per  cent 
11.30 

2.73 

9.46 

7.50 

15.03 

Per  cent 
7.07 
3.09 

13.06 
15.44 
32.45 

Per  cent 
67.25 

71.74 
53.28 
49.32 
32.30 

Per  cent 
2.14 

Cull  raisins..    . 

60 

Raisin  pulp 

7.40 

Stemmer  waste 

4  40 

Alfalfa  hav 

2.11 

Method  of  Feeding. — The  lambs  were  fed  between  6  and  7  o  'clock 
in  the  morning  and  between  4  and  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The 
grain  and  hay  were  fed  in  separate  racks  and  the  lambs  had  free  access 
to  fresh  water  and  brick  salt  at  all  times.  The  whole  barley  and  the 
raisin  by-products  were  weighed  separately  and  then  mixed.  The 
amount  of  grain  mixture  fed  was  limited  according  to  a  definite  feed- 
ing schedule.  It  was  planned  to  allow  them  all  the  alfalfa  hay  they 
would  eat  without  waste.  The  hay  racks  were  cleaned  out  every  other 
day  and  the  coarse  stems  weighed  back. 

The  lambs  fed  cull  raisins  and  raisin  pulp  were  very  eager  for 
their  feed.  The  lot  fed  stemmer  waste  consumed  their  feed  the  first 
week  and  then  began  to  leave  some  in  the  trough.  It  was  found,  by 
wetting  the  feed  to  allay  the  dust,  that  it  was  consumed  more  readily, 
and  the  stemmer  waste  mixture  was  then  fed  moist  throughout  the 
trial. 

Table  2  illustrates  the  method  of  bringing  the  lambs  of  lot  1  on 
feed.     The  other  lots  were  fed  in  a  similar  manner. 

The  feed  was  increased  very  gradually,  the  lambs  consuming  one 
pound  of  grain  a  day  after  being  on  feed  60  days. 

A  summary  of  the  data  obtained  in  the  first  trial  is  given  in  Table  3. 

Results. — An  examination  of  Table  3  indicates  that  the  average 
daily  gains  for  lots  1  and  2  were  practically  the  same,  while  lots  3 
and  4  made  somewhat  lower  gains  although  the  differences  are  prob- 
ably not  significant.  Lot  1,  fed  barley  and  alfalfa  hay,  made  slightly 
faster  gains  than  lots  3  and  4,  fed  barley,  alfalfa  hay,  and  one  of  the 
by-products. 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


TABLE   2 
Daily  Eation  per  Lamb  by  Ten-day  Periods,  Lot  1 


Period 


Barley 

Alfalfa  hay 

Pounds 

Pounds 

.26 

2.44 

.40 

2.50 

.50 

2.50 

.67 

2.50 

.81 

2.15 

.93 

2.04 

LOO 

2.04 

LOO 

1.93 

L26 

1.59 

L43 

1.70 

.SO-fi 

2.17 

1st  day 

10th  day 

20th  day 

30th  day 

40th  day 

50th  day 

60th  day 

70th  day 

80th  day 

84th  day 

Avprnr/e  for  the  j^eriod 


TABLE  3 

Summary  of  First  Feeding  Trial* 

(All  figures  are  in  pounds  unless  otherwise  designated.) 


Average  initial  weight 

Average  final  weight 

Average  gain  per  lamb 

Average  daily  gain  per  lamb 

Average  daily  feed  per  lamb: 

Whole  barley 

Cull  raisins 

Raisin  pulp 

Stemmer  waste 

Alfalfa  hay 

Feed  consumed  for  100  pounds  gain: 

Whole  barley 

Cull  raisins 

Raisin  pulp 

Stemmer  waste 

Alfalfa  hay 

Cost  of  100  pounds  of  gainf 

Cost  of  daily  ration  per  lambf 


Lot  1 


Whole  barley, 
alfalfa  hay 


53.94 

78.08 
24.14 

.287 

.805 


2.17 
280. 16 


758.25 
$9.51 
$0.0273 


Lot  2 

Whole  barley 

1  part, 

cull  raisins 

2  parts, 
alfalfa  hay 


53. 

77. 
24. 


71 

74 
03 
286 

33 
56 


2.19 


116. 
198. 


766. 

$9. 
$0. 


61 
35 
0266 


Lots 

Whole  barley 

1  part, 
raisin  pulp 

2  parts, 
alfalfa  hay 


54.13 
77.33 
23.20 

.276 

.33 

.57 

2.23 

120.97 

207.82 

808.59 
$9.03 
$0,025 


Lot  4 

Whole  barley 

1  part, 

stemmer  waste 

2  parts, 

alfalfa  hay 


53.59 
75.69 
22.10 
.263 

.30 


.59 
2.19 

117.37 


227.05 
834. 17 

$9.07 

$0.0236 


*  Four  lots  of  45  lambs  each.  Feeding  period,  84  days.  On  September  31  it  was  necessary  to  remove 
one  lamb  from  lot  1,  on  account  of  infection  from  shear  cuts. 

t  Cost  of  feed  per  ton:  whole  barley,  $30.00;  cull  raisins,  $22.50;  raisin  pulp,  $15.00;  stemmer  waste, 
$13.00;  alfalfa  hay,  $14.00. 


BUL.  431]  RAISIN  AND  BEAN  FEEDS  FOR  FATTENING  LAMBS  7 

In  this  trial  the  check  lot  (lot  1)  required  less  feed  for  100  pounds 
of  g-ain  than  did  the  other  lots.  The  lambs  in  this  lot  made  very 
economical  gains,  requiring  only  280.16  pounds  of  whole  barley  and 
758.25  pounds  of  alfalfa  hay  for  100  pounds  of  gain.  The  lambs  fed 
cull  raisins,  barley  and  alfalfa  hay  compare  very  favorably  with  the 
check  lot,  however,  in  that  they  consumed  only  35.2  pounds  more 
concentrates  and  practically  the  same  amount  of  alfalfa  hay  to  make 
100  pounds  of  gain  as  did  the  check  lot. 

A  comparison  of  the  lots  fed  raisin  pulp  and  stemmer  waste  with 
the  check  lot  shows  that  both  of  these  lots  consumed  more  concentrates 
and  roughage  than  did  the  latter,  which  would  indicate  that  these 
by-products  are  lower  in  feed  value  than  whole  barley. 

The  cost  for  100  pounds  of  gain,  at  feed  values  given,  was  fairly 
low,  for  all  the  lots.  Lots  3  and  4  made  the  cheapest  gains,  lot  2  was 
third,  and  lot  1  was  fourth.  In  every  case  the  by-product  rations  pro- 
duced cheaper  gains  than  did  the  check  lot  when  whole  barley  was 
valued  at  $30  per  ton. 

All  the  lambs  were  well  finished  at  the  close  of  the  experiment. 
The  buyers  made  no  discrimination  in  price  when  bidding  on  the 
various  lots.  The  lambs  were  sold  to  a  San  Francisco  packer  at  121/2 
cents  a  pound,  f.o.b.,  Davis.  Data  on  shipping  weights  and  dressing 
percentages  are  given  in  Table  4. 

TABLE  4 

Shipping  Weights  and  Dressing  Percentages 


Number  of  lambs 

Shipping  weight  at  Davis 

Weight  off-cars  in  San  Francisco. 

Shrink  per  lamb 

Per  cent  shrinkage 

Dressed  weight  per  lot  (warm).,.. 

Dressed  weight  per  lamb 

Per  cent  yield,  Davis  weight 

Per  cent  yield,  off-car  weights 


Lot  1 


84 


44 

3479. 

3310 

3. 

4.86 

1730 

39.32 

49.72 

52.27 


Lot  2 


45 
3536.1 
3340 
4.36 
5.55 
1763 
39.18 
49.86 
52.78 


Lots 


45 
3519.3 
3300 
4.87 
6.23 
1713 
38.07 
48.67 
51.91 


Lot  4 


45 
3444.1 
3270 
3.87 
5.05 
1697 
37.71 
49.27 
51.90 


The  shipping  weight  at  Davis  was  taken  at  7  o  'clock  in  the  morning 
after  an  all-night  stand  without  feed  and  water,  and  represents  a 
shrunk  weight  on  the  farm.  After  the  lambs  were  weighed  they  were 
returned  to  the  feed  yards  and  fed  hay  and  grain,  although  the  grain 
ration  was  decreased  one-half,  preparing  for  shipment. 


8  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

At  5  0  'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  lambs  were  loaded  into  two  stock 
cars,  approximately  112  lambs  to  the  car,  and  were  unloaded  at  San 
Francisco,  the  next  morning  at  10  o'clock.  They  were  then  sorted 
into  lots  and  weighed  about  12  noon,  being,  in  all,  about  19  hours 
without  feed  and  water.  The  shrinkage  for  each  lamb  as  shown  in 
the  table  varied  from  3.84  pounds  to  4.87  pounds. 

The  lambs  were  sold  to  a  San  Francisco  packer,  and  all  the  lots 
killed  out  well,  although  lot  1  seemed  somewhat  firmer  in  texture 
than  the  others.  The  dressed  yield  was  fairly  uniform,  varying  from 
49.86  per  cent  in  lot  2  to  48.67  per  cent  in  lot  3  on  the  basis  of  Davis 
feed  yard  weights. 

SUMMARY  OF  FIRST  TRIAL 

1.  The  raisin  by-product  rations  were  satisfactory  in  palatability 
in  that  the  lambs  ate  their  feed  readily.  It  was  necessary,  however,  to 
wet  the  stemmer  waste  ration  to  allay  the  dust. 

2.  In  daily  gains,  there  was  little  difference  among  the  respective 
lots  although  lot  1  consumed  about  10  per  cent  less  concentrates  than 
the  other  lots  thus  making  the  daily  gain  on  a  smaller  daily  ration. 

3.  The  lambs  in  lot  2  required  12.6  per  cent  more  concentrates  and 
practically  the  same  amount  of  roughage  as  those  in  lot  1  to  make  100 
pounds  of  gain,  which  indicates  that  cull  raisins  are  somewhat  lower  in 
feeding  value  than  whole  barley. 

4.  A  comparison  of  lots  1  and  3  in  feed  for  100  pounds  of  gain 
shows  that  the  latter  required  17.36  per  cent  more  concentrates  and 
6.49  per  cent  more  roughage  than  did  lot  1,  indicating  that  raisin 
pulp  was  lower  in  feeding  value  than  whole  barley. 

5.  Lot  4  required  22.94  per  cent  more  concentrates  and  9.8  per  cent 
more  roughage  to  produce  100  pounds  of  gain  than  did  lot  1,  indicat- 
ing that  stemmer  waste  was  considerably  lower  in  feeding  value  than 
whole  barley. 

6.  In  cost  of  feed  for  100  pounds  of  gain  the  three  lots  fed  raisin 
by-products  proved  more  economical  than  lot  1  fed  barley  and  alfalfa 
hay  due  to  the  by-products  being  considerably  cheaper  in  price  than 
barley.    Lots  3  and  4  made  the  most  economical  gains. 

7.  There  was  practically  no  difference  in  degree  of  finish  of  the 
lambs  at  the  close  of  the  experiment. 

8.  The  average  shrinkage  in  shipping  from  Davis  to  San  Francisco 
was  4.23  pounds  per  lamb.  Lot  1,  fed  barley  and  alfalfa  hay,  shrank 
slightly  less  than  did  the  other  lots. 

9.  The  slaughter  report  showed  that  the  lambs  in  lots  1  and  2 
slightly  surpassed  those  in  lots  3  and  4  in  dressed  weight. 


BUL.  431]  RAISIN  AND  BEAN  FEEDS  FOR  FATTENING  LAMBS 


SECOND    TRIAL,    INCLUDING    RESULTS    WITH    BEAN    SCREENINGS 

This  trial  was  conducted  to  confirm  the  results  obtained  with  cull 
raisins  and  raisin  pulp  in  the  first  trial.  The  raisin  stemmer  waste 
was  omitted,  due  to  the  fact  that  it  is  similar  in  composition  to  the 
raisin  pulp. 

In  addition,  two  lots  were  included  in  this  trial  to  determine  the 
feeding  value  of  bean  screenings,  which  are  an  important  by-product 
in  this  state.  The  bean  crop  in  California  in  1926  amounted  to 
5,460,000  bushels.  In  cleaning  beans  for  human  consumption,  they 
are  passed  over  a  series  of  screens  w^hich  remove  all  the  dirt,  split 
beans,  and  the  small,  shrunken  beans.  These  screenings  are  readily 
eaten  by  sheep  unless  there  is  an  excessive  amount  of  dirt  present. 
Furthermore,  they  are  usually  available  at  a  relatively  low  price  and 
many  sheepmen  have  been  utilizing  them  principally  as  a  concentrate 
for  wintering  ewes. 

Animals  Used  in  the  Test. — Two  hundred  and  fifty  lambs  were 
selected  for  this  trial  from  a  band  of  about  400  feeder  lambs  in 
Sonoma  County,  California.  They  were  of  good  mutton  type,  being 
high  grade  Shropshires  and  had  recently  been  sheared.  The  lambs 
had  been  on  dry  feed  for  about  four  months  during  the  summer  and 
were  somewhat  thin  and  unthrifty.  They  arrived  at  Davis  on  Sep- 
tember 30,  1925,  and  were  put  into  the  feed  lots  immediately.  A  ration 
of  alfalfa  hay  and  barley  was  fed  for  one  week  previous  to  the 
beginning  of  the  trial. 

Plan  and  Description  of  the  Experiment. — On  October  6  the  lambs 
were  divided  into  5  lots,  49  lambs  to  the  lot.  Special  attention  was 
paid  to  uniformity  in  weight  and  condition.  The  average  condition 
and  initial  weight  for  each  lot  were  practically  the  same.  They  were 
weighed  by  lots  on  three  consecutive  days  at  the  beginning  and  at  the 
close  of  the  experiment,  the  average  of  the  three  weights  being  taken 
as  the  initial  and  the  final  weights,  respectively.  The  lambs  were 
housed  in  the  sheep  feeding  shed  and  corrals  as  described  in  trial  1. 
(See  page  4.) 

Rations  Fed.^ 

Lot  1,  whole  barley  and  alfalfa  hay.     (Check  lot.) 

Lot  2,  whole  barley  1  part,  cull  raisins,  2  parts,  and  alfalfa 

hay. 
Lot  3,  whole  barley  1  part,  raisin  pulp  2  parts,  and  alfalfa 

hay. 

3  Proportions  are  by  weight. 


10 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


Lot  4,  whole  barley  1  part,  bean  screenings  1  part,  and  alfalfa 

hay. 
Lot  5,  bean  screenings  and  alfalfa  hay. 

Description  of  the  Feeds. — The  whole  barley  was  good  feeding 
barley,  field  run,  not  recleaned,  of  the  1925  crop.  It  weighed  44 
pounds  to  the  bushel  and  contained  a  small  amount  of  chaff. 

The  description  of  the  cull  raisins  and  raisin  pulp  is  the  same  as 
in  trial  1.     (See  page  4.) 

The  bean  screenings  consisted  of  split,  shrunken  and  small  beans, 
with  considerable  dirt.  The  amount  of  dirt  varied  in  different  sacks 
from  10  to  30  per  cent  and  it  was  found  necessary  to  clean  these 
screenings  before  feeding.  An  attempt  was  made  to  clean  the  screen- 
ings by  passing  them  through  an  ordinary  grain  cleaner,  but  it  was 
impossible  to  remove  all  the  dirt  and  there  still  remained  about  10 
per  cent  after  cleaning.    In  this  condition  the  screenings  were  fed. 

The  alfalfa  hay  was  second  and  third  cutting  baled  hay  of  fair 
quality.  It  was  a  trifle  coarse  and  contained  some  foxtail.  The  foxtail 
seeds  gave  considerable  trouble  by  getting  into  the  lambs'  eyes,  and 
the  feeder  had  to  watch  closely  for  sore  eyes. 

The  lambs  had  free  access  to  water  and  brick  salt  at  all  times. 

Chemical  Composition  of  the  Feeds. — The  chemical  composition  of 
the  feeds  used  in  this  test  as  reported  ^by  H.  W.  Allinger,  of  the 
Chemistry  Division  of  the  Branch  College  of  Agriculture,  is  shown 
in  Table  5. 

TABLE  5 
Chemical  Composition  of  Feeds 


Feed 

Moisture 

Ash 

Crude 
protein 

Crude 
fiber 

Nitrogen- 
free 
extract 

Fat 

Whole  barley 

Per  cent 

9.10 

15.14 

9.35 
12.06 

8.85 

Per  cent 

2.89 
3.47 
6.39 

3.82 
9.26 

Per  cent 
8.49 

3.74 

9.59 

20.47 

15.03 

Per  cent 

5.84 
3.41 

15.94 
3.08 

32.45 

Per  cent 
71.20 

73.57 
52.43 

48.42 
32.30 

Per  cent 

2.48 

Cull  raisins 

0.67 

Raisin  pulp 

6.30 

Bean  screenings 

1.29 

Alfalfa  hay* 

2.11 

Alfalfa  hay  analysis  is  that  of  a  previous  test. 


Method  of  Feeding. — The  lambs  were  fed  between  7  and  8  o'clock 
in  the  morning  and  4  and  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  grain  and 
hay  were  fed  in  separate  racks.  The  hay  racks  were  cleaned  out  every 
other  day  and  the  refuse  hay  weighed  back. 

At  the  beginning  the  lambs  consumed  an  average  of  0.38  pounds  of 
grain  and  1.9  pounds  of  hay  per  head  daily.     The  concentrates  were 


BUL.  431]  RAISIN  AND  BEAN  FEEDS  FOR  FATTENING  LAMBS 


11 


gradually  increased  until  at  the  close  of  the  first  month  they  were 
getting  approximately  1.2  pounds  of  grain  and  1.75  pounds  of  hay 
per  day.  The  lambs  all  consumed  about  the  same  daily  ration  and 
ate  their  feed  readily  from  the  beginning,  even  those  fed  bean  screen- 
ings alone  with  alfalfa  hay.  The  two  lots  getting  bean  screenings 
scoured  some.  This  was  particularly  true  at  the  beginning  of  the  trial. 
On  October  26,  after  being  on  feed  20  days,  the  lambs  getting  bean 


Fig.  1. — Lambs  of  lot  3,  second  tri 


been  on  feed  for  thirty  days. 


Fig.  2. — Lambs  of  lot  3,  second  trial,  at  the  close  of  the  experiment, 
lambs  were  fed  whole  barley,  raisin,  pulp,  and  alfalfa  hay. 


These 


screenings  and  alfalfa  hay  refused  part  of  their  feed  and  were  scour- 
ing severely;  hence  the  ration  of  bean  screenings  was  reduced.  In  a 
few  days  they  were  back  on  feed  and  the  screenings  were  slowly 
increased.  On  November  23,  after  they  had  been  on  feed  48  days, 
all  the  lots  Avere  getting  1.5  pounds  of  concentrates  per  day.  The 
lambs  in  lot  5  went  off  feed  again  and^the  amount  of  bean  screenings 
was  reduced  to  1.25  pounds  a  lamb  for  each  day  until  they  regained 
their  appetite.  Although  the  bean  screenings  seemed  to  produce  scours 
readily,  when  the  amount  was  reduced  the  lambs  quickly  recovered 
without  noticeable  ill  effects. 


12 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


Because  of  a  week's  preliminary  feeding  period,  it  was  possible 
to  put  the  lambs  on  feed  rapidly.  Table  6  indicates  the  daily  ration 
per  lamb  by  10-day  periods  in  lots  1  and  5. 


TABLE  6 


Period 


Lot 


Barley 


Alfalfa  hay 


Lots 


Bean  screenings 


Alfalfa  hay 


1st  day 

10th  day 

20th  day 

30th  day 

40th  day 

50th  day 

60th  day 

70th  day 

80th  day 

90th  day 

100th  day 

105th  day 

Average  for  period 


.383 
.765 
.980 
1.194 
1.316 
1.469 
1.469 
1.561 
1.653 
1.633 
1.633 
1.633 


1.316 


1.915 
2.041 
1.837 
1.633 
1.633 
1.714 
1.714 
1.633 
1.469 
1.306 
1.306 
1.306 


1.635 


.383 
.735 
.980 
1.187 
1.343 
1.250 
1.333 
1.416 
1.500 
1.416 
1.416 
1.416 


1.915 
1.837 
2.041 
2.041 
1.666 
1.750 


750 
750 
666 
666 
666 
666 


1.813 


This  table  shows  that  a  heavy  ration  of  concentrates  was  fed  dur- 
ing this  trial.  The  lambs  fed  bean  screenings  consumed  less  concen- 
trates and  somewhat  more  hay ;  however,  they  made  very  satisfactory 
gains. 

The  lots  fed  cull  raisins  and  raisin  pulp  were  fed  practically  the 
same  amount  of  concentrates  and  hay  as  was  the  barley  lot. 

Data  on  quantities  of  feed  consumed  and  gains  made  are  sum- 
marized in  Table  7. 

Results. — The  lambs  receiving  whole  barley  and  alfalfa  hay  (check 
lot)  rank  first  with  a  daily  gain  of  .274  pounds  per  lamb ;  those  fed 
bean  screenings  were  second  with  .266  pounds ;  those  fed  cull  raisins 
third  with  .261  pounds;  those  fed  a  mixture  of  barley  and  bean 
screenings  were  fourth  with  .247  pounds;  and  the  lambs  fed  raisin 
pulp  were  fifth  with  .227  pounds. 

All  the  lots  fed  by-products  except  lot  5  required  more  concentrates 
to  produce  100  pounds  of  gain  than  did  lot  1,  fed  barley  and  alfalfa 
hay.  Lot  5  made  a  very  economical  gain,  requiring  only  451.53 
pounds  of  bean  screenings  as  compared  with  480.80  pounds  of  barley 
in  the  check  lot,  to  produce  100  pounds  of  gain. 


BUL.  431]  RAISIN  AND  BEAN  FEEDS  FOR  FATTENING  LAMBS 


13 


In  roughage  consumed  for  100  pounds  of  gain,  the  check  lot 
required  only  597.34  pounds  of  alfalfa  hay,  while  the  lots  fed  by- 
products consumed  considerably  more  hay,  particularly  the  lambs  fed 
raisin  pulp  and  those  fed  a  mixture  of  barley  and  bean  screenings. 

These  facts  would  indicate  that  when  these  by-products  make  up 
all  or  the  major  part  of  the  concentrate  ration,  an  increased  con- 
sumption of  roughage  is  required  to  produce  a  given  gain. 

In  cost  of  feed  required  for  100  pounds  of  gain,  the  lots  rank  as 
follows :  lot  5  first,  being  most  economical,  lot  4  second,  lot  2  third, 
lot  3  fourth,  and  lot  1  fifth.  With  bean  screenings  valued  at  $15  per 
ton,  the  cost  of  100  pounds  of  gain  was  considerably  lower  than  in 
the  check  lot  with  barley  valued  at  $30  per  ton.  In  every  case 
the  by-products  produced  the  cheaper  gains  due  to  the  lower  price 
of  these  feeds  and  their  reasonably  high  efficiency.  The  most  striking 
difference,  however,  exists  between  lots  1  and  5. 


TABLE  7 
Summary  of  Second  Trial 
(Feeding  period,  105  days.     All  figures  in  pounds  unless  otherwise  designated.) 


Lot  I 

(Barley 
alfalfa 
hay) 

Lot  II 

(Barley 

1  part, 
cull  raisins 

2  parts, 
alfalfa 

hay) 

Lot  III 

(Barley 
1  part, 
raisin  pulp 
2  parts, 
alfalfa 
hay) 

Lot  IV 

(Barley 
1  part, 
bean  screen- 
ings 1  part, 
alfalfa 
hay) 

LotV 

(Bean 

screenings, 

alfalfa 

hay) 

Number  of  lambs 

49 
54.10 

82.84 
28.74 
.274 

1.316 

1.635 
480.80 

597.34 
$11.39 
.0312 

49 

54.60 
82.05 
27.45 
.261 

.446 
.889 

1.707 

171.06 
340.78 

654.38 

$10.96 
.0286 

48 

54.00 
77.84 
23.84 

.227 

.449 

.896 

1.725 

198.48 

395.41 

760.95 
$11.27 
.0255 

49 

53.90 
79.86 
25.96 
.247 

.604 

.599 
1.791 

244.72 

243.97 

728.77 
$10.60 
0261 

48 

Average  initial  weight 

53.70 

Average  final  weight 

81.70 

Average  gain  per  lamb 

28.00 

Average  daily  gain  per  lamb 

Average  daily  feed  per  lamb: 
Whole  barley 

.266 

Cull  raisins 

Raisin  pulp 

Bean  screenings 

1.202 

Alfalfa  hay 

1.813 

Feed  consumed  for  100  pounds 
gain: 
Whole  barley 

Cull  raisins 

Raisin  pulp  . 

Bean  screenings 

451.53 

Alfalfa  hay 

684.02 

Cost  of  100  pounds  gain* 

Cost  of  daily  ration  per  lamb* 

$8.17 
.0217 

*  Cost  of  feed  per  ton:    whole  barley,  $30.00;  cull  raisins,  $22.50;  raisin  pulp,  $15.00;  bean  screenings, 
$15.00;  baled  alfalfa  hay,  $14.00. 


14 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


In  view  of  the  fact  that  all  the  lambs  were  well  finished  at  the 
close  of  the  experiment  and  the  packer  buyers  who  inspected  the  lambs 
made  no  discrimination  in  price,  the  by-products  proved  to  be  more 
economical  than  whole  barley. 


Fig.  3. — Lambs  at  the  feed  trough,  showing  grain  trough,  hay  rack,  and 

type  of  shed. 


Fig.  4. — Sheepmen  inspecting  the  hanbs  on  Feeders'  Day.     Chain  troughs 
and  hay  racks  in  foreground. 


Although  the  lambs  were  uniformly  a  trifle  thin  at  the  beginning, 
they  were  of  good  mutton  type,  and  at  the  close  of  the  trial  they  were 
especially  well  finished  and  practically  all  the  lambs  graded  as  prime 
or  choice. 

A  ' '  Feeders '  Day ' '  was  held  at  the  close  of  the  trial  and  about  50 
sheepmen    participated    in    the    meeting    and    inspected    the  lambs. 


BUL.  431]  RAISIN  AND  BEAN  FEEDS  FOR  FATTENING  LAMBS 


15 


There  was  much  favorable  comment  among  those  attending  as  to  the 
excellent  finish  and  attractive  appearance  of  the  various  lots. 

The  data  on  shipping  weights  and  dressing  percentages  are  given 
in  full  in  Table  8. 

TABLE  8 

Shipping  Weights  and  Dressing  Percentages 

(All  figures  in  pounds  except  where  otherwise  designated) 


Shipping  weight  at  Davis 

Weight  off  cars,  San  Francisco. 

Shrink  per  lamb* 

Dressed  weight  per  lot  (warm).. 

Dressed  weight  per  lamb 

Per  cent  yield,  Davis  weight 

Per  cent  yield,  off-car  weight... 


Lot  1 


4155 

3878.15 
5.65 

2077 
42.40 
49.99 
53.55 


Lot  2 


4110 

3833.15 
5.65 

2102 
42.90 
51.14 
54.84 


Lots 


3830 

3558.80 
5.65 

1909 
39.77 
49.84 
53.64 


Lot  4 


4030 

3753.15 
5.65 

2020 
41.22 
50.12 
53.82 


Lot  5 


4045 

3773.8 
5.65 

1994 
41.54 
49.30 
52.84 


*  The  shrink  per  lamb  is  shown  as  5.65  pounds  in  each  lot.  This  is  based  on  the  total  off-car  weight 
of  all  the  lambs,  as  the  shipper  failed  to  segregate  the  lambs  into  respective  lots  when  they  were  unloaded 
at  the  San  Francisco  yards. 

The  shrink  per  lamb  in  shipping  is  based  on  the  total  off-car 
weights.  The  shipping  weight  at  Davis  was  taken  at  7  o'clock  in  the 
morning  after  an  all-night  stand  without  feed  and  water.  After 
weighing  the  lambs,  they  were  given  a  half  feed  of  grain  and  full  feed 
of  hay.  At  3  p.m.  they  were  loaded  into  two  single-deck  cars  and 
were  unloaded  at  San  Francisco  the  next  morning  about  9  o'clock, 
being  on  the  cars  18  hours.  The  shrinkage  amounted  to  5.65  pounds 
per  lamb,  or  6.84  per  cent,  which  is  rather  heavy  on  a  basis  of  shrunk 
weight  at  home. 

The  dressing  percentages  of  the  lambs  in  all  the  lots  were  high, 
yielding  from  53  to  54  per  cent  on  the  basis  of  off-car  weights.  The 
carcasses  were  well  covered  over  the  loin  and  rib,  the  legs  were  full, 
and  the  kidney  fat  was  not  excessive.  The  quality  was  excellent,  most 
carcasses  grading  as  prime. 


SUMMARY  OF  SECOND  TRIAL 

1.  From  the  standpoint  of  palatability,  the  by-product  rations 
were  satisfactory.  The  lambs  readily  consumed  the  cull  raisins  and 
raisin  pulp,  as  was  found  also  in  the  first  trial.  The  bean  screenings 
were  also  relished  by  the  lambs  from  the  beginning. 

2.  In  daily  gains  produced,  lots  1,  2,  and  5  were  about  equal,  while 
lots  3  and  4  made  slightly  lower  gains,  although  the  differences  were 
not  sufficient  to  be  significant. 


16  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

3.  A  comparison  of  lots  1  and  2  in  feed  required  for  100  pounds 
of  gain  shows  that  the  latter  required  6.46  per  cent  more  concentrates 
and  9.55  per  cent  more  alfalfa  hay  than  did  the  lambs  in  lot  1. 

4.  In  feed  required  for  100  pounds  of  gain,  lot  3  required  23.51 
per  cent  more  concentrates  and  27.40  per  cent  more  roughage  than 
lot  1. 

5.  A  comparison  of  lots  1  and  5  in  feed  required  for  100  pounds 
of  gain  shows  that  the  latter  required  6.09  per  cent  less  concentrates 
and  14.11  per  cent  more  roughage,  indicating  that  bean  screenings 
were  practically  equal  to  whole  barley  in  feed  value. 

6.  There  was  relatively  little  difference  in  degree  of  finish  shown 
by  the  condition  of  the  various  lots  of  lambs  at  the  close. 

7.  The  ration  of  bean  screenings  and  alfalfa  hay  proved  rather 
laxative  and  it  was  necessary  to  limit  the  amount  fed  on  this  account. 


FINANCIAL   STATEMENT 

The  financial  statement  is  omitted  in  this  report,  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  profit  or  loss  of  a  feeding  trial  depends  upon  a  number  of 
variable  factors;  namely,  margin  between  buying  and  selling  price, 
cost  of  feeds,  labor,  transportation  charges,  etc.  The  important 
information  to  be  obtained  from  a  feeding  trial  is  the  amount  of  feed 
required  to  produce  a  given  gain,  the  daily  gain  and  the  approximate 
total  gain  necessary  to  produce  a  desirable  finish.  For  instance,  in 
lot  1  of  the  second  trial,  it  required  480.8  pounds  of  barley  and  597.34 
pounds  of  alfalfa  hay  at  a  cost  of  $11.39  to  make  100  pounds  of  gain. 
The  lambs  weighed  55.2  pounds  each  when  received  f.o.b.  cars,  Lake- 
ville,  and  were  purchased  at  11%  cents  a  pound,  making  the  initial 
cost  per  lamb  $6.34.  They  weighed  at  the  close  81.6  pounds  each 
(shrunk  weight  at  feed  yard)  and  brought  14 1/^  cents  a  pound,  or 
$11.83.  The  total  feed  cost,  labor,  freight,  and  miscellaneous  charges 
amounted  to  $4.26  each,  leaving  a  profit  of  $1.21  per  lamb. 

While  the  lambs  cost  11%  cents  a  pound  at  the  shipping  point,  the 
freight  from  Lakeville  to  Davis  amounted  to  practically  one-half  a 
cent  a  pound,  and  the  above  profit  of  $1.21  was  actually  realized  on  a 
2%-cent  margin ;  namely,  12  cents  and  14%  cents,  respectively.  The 
average  feeder  considers  a  spread  of  2  cents  a  pound  between  buying 
and  selling  price  a  desirable  margin,  allowing  a  fair  profit  for  his 
investment. 

12to-9,'27 


